I suppose then it depends entirely on your ambitions. I'd imagine the usual host of civil service jobs would be opened up, but it has to be said that not everyone will even know what Anthropology is, so... . Why do you want to do it? If you really have no interest whatsoever in being some sort of academic/teacher then why not go for something related but "safer" like History?
I suppose then it depends entirely on your ambitions. I'd imagine the usual host of civil service jobs would be opened up, but it has to be said that not everyone will even know what Anthropology is, so... . Why do you want to do it? If you really have no interest whatsoever in being some sort of academic/teacher then why not go for something related but "safer" like History?
It's not that I wouldn't teach or go into academia, it's just that I find that teaching should be something that is done when you are much older and have built character. I hate these young teachers who go straight into teaching after coming out of university and have breakdowns. Personally I think I'm a lot stronger than that but I need to go and live a bit more first.
History was another idea actually, as I do enjoy it too. I would like to study Anthropology as I've always been fascinated with people and their communication patterns and how societies are formed. It just ticks all of the boxes of my interests and I've always had people recommending me to go into it (albeit normal people, people who could be wrong).
It's not that I wouldn't teach or go into academia, it's just that I find that teaching should be something that is done when you are much older and have built character. I hate these young teachers who go straight into teaching after coming out of university and have breakdowns. Personally I think I'm a lot stronger than that but I need to go and live a bit more first.
I'd definitely agree with you there. It can't be a coincidence that far more often than not my favourite teachers were those who never actually set out to be teachers in the first place. My Chemistry teacher, for instance - the only reason I took an interest in Chemistry and passed very well despite previously having little real interest in science - had worked in the chemical industry for years beforehand, and he was a fantastic teacher. Contrasted with that was the student teacher we had replace him for a week, who couldn't have been more than 22 and was absolutely dire. Obviously there are exceptions but that's the trend I noticed in my own experience anyway.
Originally Posted by The Harlequinn Mask
History was another idea actually, as I do enjoy it too. I would like to study Anthropology as I've always been fascinated with people and their communication patterns and how societies are formed. It just ticks all of the boxes of my interests and I've always had people recommending me to go into it (albeit normal people, people who could be wrong).
I daresay you'll study those sorts of things in History anyhow. For now I'd stick with this and say that if you have no aspirations for some sort of post-grad work in Anthropology or suchlike then you should probably go with History or even Philosophy. You could always read anthropological texts on the side.
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Re: Anthropology - is it a respected degree?
Do it. Live the dream. Or do a joint degree. Or do something else. But it does occur to me that a philosophy forum may not be the best place to ask these questions. Unless it was specifically advice from philosophy students you were after, in which case I am a philosophy student and I respect anthropology. I took one module of it and it was hard, there was a lot of reading involved, and I found the texts quite heavy going, so based on my very narrow experience I definitely wouldn't say that it's a 'fluff' degree.
Anthropology may not lead to many obvious jobs, but then neither does history or philosophy or english or all sorts of degrees, so don't let that put you off. The Prospects website has a 'what you can do with your subject' section and case profiles, so have a look at that for a few options.
I daresay you'll study those sorts of things in History anyhow. For now I'd stick with this and say that if you have no aspirations for some sort of post-grad work in Anthropology or suchlike then you should probably go with History or even Philosophy. You could always read anthropological texts on the side.
Terrible advice.
Originally Posted by wallflower*
Do it. Live the dream. Or do a joint degree. Or do something else. But it does occur to me that a philosophy forum may not be the best place to ask these questions. Unless it was specifically advice from philosophy students you were after, in which case I am a philosophy student and I respect anthropology. I took one module of it and it was hard, there was a lot of reading involved, and I found the texts quite heavy going, so based on my very narrow experience I definitely wouldn't say that it's a 'fluff' degree.
Anthropology may not lead to many obvious jobs, but then neither does history or philosophy or english or all sorts of degrees, so don't let that put you off. The Prospects website has a 'what you can do with your subject' section and case profiles, so have a look at that for a few options.
Far better.
There are a coupld of threads in the social sciences forum, which might be of use. And have a look at the Royal Anthropological Institute website.
How do you find Anthropology as a subject? What does your particular course consist of? And where do you hope to go with it?
I really enjoyed it, but - because I studied it as part of a joint degree - I missed a substantial chunk of theory in the second year, which probably would have helped me later on.
For me, the best thing about the subject is its breadth - I studied the relationship between new religions, money and the occult in Thailand; urban geography and religious discourse in contemporary Mumbai; the ethics of gift-exchange; in-group identies among street musicians and performers; and the social effects of new reproductive technologies (surrogacy, artificial insemination, etc.).
In the longer term, I want to be a futurist and science fiction author. Or maybe some kind of technology journalist. I'm interested in how people experience new technologies ... and how culture, society and technology interact.
I did Anthropology. I loved it and because I loved it I did well at it.
I think it also made my applications stand out and I got a million interviews cos it was so unusual, usually starting with them curious about what exactly it was and since I loved it so much I could talk about it passionately
I really enjoyed it, but - because I studied it as part of a joint degree - I missed a substantial chunk of theory in the second year, which probably would have helped me later on.
For me, the best thing about the subject is its breadth - I studied the relationship between new religions, money and the occult in Thailand; urban geography and religious discourse in contemporary Mumbai; the ethics of gift-exchange; in-group identies among street musicians and performers; and the social effects of new reproductive technologies (surrogacy, artificial insemination, etc.).
In the longer term, I want to be a futurist and science fiction author. Or maybe some kind of technology journalist. I'm interested in how people experience new technologies ... and how culture, society and technology interact.
What A levels did you do? And what grades did you get?
Uh ... AABB in Government & Politics, Philosophy, Economics, and History.
Not that the subjects would matter that much for anthropology, as long as you've got at least one or two "essay" subjects.
Oh thank god! I was worried I would have had to have done Biology or another science!
I did English Literature, English Language and Drama. I also did an AS in Sociology. I am awaiting my results though but my predictions and general performance in my subjects were A's and B's so I will probably have similar results (if all my work paid off )
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Anthropology - is it a respected degree?
. Why do you want to do it? If you really have no interest whatsoever in being some sort of academic/teacher then why not go for something related but "safer" like History?
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